Claraeola khuzestanensis Motamedinia & Skevington

Motamedinia, Behnam, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2019, Revision of Claraeola (Diptera, Pipunculidae) in the Middle East based on morphology and DNA barcodes, ZooKeys 873, pp. 85-111 : 85

Claraeola khuzestanensis Motamedinia & Skevington sp. nov. Figs 5 , 8B , 9E, F

Examined material.

Holotype. IRAN • ♂; Khuzestan, Shush; 32°6'N, 48°26'E; 68m; 11 Mar.-10 May 2015; M. Parchami-Araghi leg.; Malaise trap; JSS52300; GB: MN182737; CNC. Paratypes. IRAN • 1 ♂; 11 Mar.-10 May 2015; E. Gilasian leg.; Malaise trap; JSS52299; GB: 182741; HMIM • 1 ♀; 32°4'N, 48°14'E; same data as holotype; JSS52208; GB: MN182740; CNC • 1 ♀; same data as holotype; 29 Mar.-31 Aug. 2013; JSS52188; GB: MN182743; CNC.

Diagnosis.

This species is closely related to C. parnianae from southeast Iran, described by Motamedinia and Kehlmaier (2017). Both have a long, slender abdomen with narrow but distinct yellow markings on the abdominal tergites, erect anteromedial setae on mid and hind tibiae and a protruding membranous sheath associated with the ejaculatory ducts. It differs by the shape of surstyli in dorsal view and the structure of the membranous sheath, being trilobate at its apex in C. parnianae ( Fig. 7A, C, D ) It is also closely related to C. oppleta (Collin, 1941), recorded from Russia and North Korea and re-described by Kehlmaier (2005b), and C. alata ( Kozánek & Kwon, 1991), described from North Korea by Kozánek and Kwon (1991). It differs by the square shape of the surstyli in lateral view ( Fig. 5D, E ), the structure of the phallus with short spines and short membranous sheath without spines ( Fig. 5E ).

Description.

Male. Body length (excluding antennae): 4.0-4.3 mm (n = 2). Head. Face gray pruinose. Scape dark, pedicel partly light brown with four short upper bristles and a long plus a single short lower bristle, flagellum and base of arista completely yellow; flagellum tapering and gray-white pruinose (LF:WF = 3.6). Labellum yellow. Eyes meeting for a distance of 29 facets. Frons silver-gray pruinose. Vertex black, lacking pruinosity. Occiput dark and gray pruinose with scattered small dark bristles. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe light yellow, gray pruinose. Prescutum black but light brown at lateral margin. Scutum black, gray pruinose with scattered long setae at anterior supra-alar area. Scutellum yellow, with ca. 12 brown setae along posterior margin (up to 0.6 mm). Subscutellum dark, gray pruinose. Pleura dark brown but light brown on anepimeron. Wing. Length: 3.9-4.1 mm. LW:MWW = 3.1. Wing almost entirely covered with microtrichia. Pterostigma dark-brown and incomplete. LS:LTC = 0.9. LTC:LFC = 1.0. Cross-vein r-m reaches dm shortly after one third of the cell’s length. M1 strongly undulating in middle. Halter length: 0.5 mm. Whitish, narrowly brown at base. Legs. Yellow but brown-yellow at coxae. Coxae gray pruinose. Mid coxa with two or three black anterior bristles. Trochanters partly gray pruinose. Femora gray pruinose. Mid and hind femora bearing two rows of dark, peg-like anteroventral spines in apical one third. Tibiae gray pruinose, with two rows of short setae on anterior and three rows on posterior side. Mid and hind tibiae bearing two or three wrinkled indentations in middle with erect anteromedial setae. Tarsi yellowish but distitarsi brown, with scattered dark setae at anterior margin. Claws white with black tips. Abdomen. Long and narrow, ground color dark, tergites 1-3 and partly 4 with two narrow posterolateral yellow spots. Tergite 1 gray pruinose, with three or four dark lateral bristles (up to 0.5 mm) and patch of brown setae. Tergites 1-5 with brown setae; tergite 5 posterolaterally gray pruinose. Tergite 5 slightly longer than tergite 4 and almost symmetrical in dorsal view (LT35:WT5 = 1.6, WT5:LT5 = 1.6, T5R:T5L = 1.0). Sternites white-yellow laterally and brown with dark mid-line centrally, gray pruinose. Syntergosternite 8 dark, gray pruinose without dorsal depression on side of right surstylus. LT35:WS8 = 3.0. Viewed laterally, higher than long (LS8:HS8 = 0.7). Membranous area ovate in caudal view, small sized. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium and surstyli light brown, gray pruinose. Epandrium wider than long (MLE:MWE = 0.6). Surstyli asymmetrical, right larger than left one. Left surstylus rather rectangular. Right surstylus widened in middle ( Fig. 5A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods large and equal in height, humped at apices ( Fig. 5B ). Genital capsule in lateral view: epandrium without projecting lobe on either side. Surstyli with large projecting lobe on dorsal sides ( Fig. 5D, E ). Phallus straight, strong, with three short ejaculatory ducts covered with strong and small teeth and a protruding membranous sheath, hook-like at apex ( Fig. 5D, E ). Phallic guide strong, broaden before narrowed at apex. ( Fig. 5D, E ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, symmetrical, with a bulb in its middle and fungiform at apex ( Fig. 5C ).

Female. Body length (excluding antennae): 4.1-4.4 mm (n = 2). Head. Eyes separated, with enlarged frontal facets. Frons gray pruinose in lower half. Occiput gray pruinose. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe light yellow, gray pruinose with scattered yellow setae. Prescutum and scutum black, gray pruinose with scattered long setae at anterior supra-alar area with two uniseriate dorsocentral rows of hairs. Wing. Length: 3.8-3.9 mm. LW:MWW = 2.9. Pterostigma light-brown and slightly complete (LS:LTC = 0.8, LTC:LFC = 0.85). Legs. Yellow, mid coxa and hind trochanter with one or two black anterior bristles. All femora bearing two small ventral rows of dark peg-like spines in the apical third. Hind tibia with two or three wrinkled indentations in middle but without distinctly stronger bristly setae. Basal segment of hind tarsi broad with dense black and yellow bristles. Pulvilli longer than distitarsi. Abdomen. Tergites with small black bristles. Tergites 1-6 with two narrow posterolateral yellow spots with gray pruinosity. Ovipositor. Gray pruinose but dorsally with scattered long brown bristles. Viewed laterally: base of piercer curved, piercer slightly angled between proximal and distal part and longer than base ( Fig. 8B ). LP:LB = 1.9. LDP:LPP = 2.3.

Etymology.

Named after Khuzestan, the province from where the holotype originated.

Distribution.

Iran ( Fig. 10 ).

Figures

Figure 5. Male genitalia of holotype Claraeola khuzestanensis Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. A in dorsal view B in ventral view C ejaculatory apodeme D, E in lateral view.

Figure 7. Male genitalia of Claraeola parnianae Motamedinia & Kehlmaier A in dorsal view B in ventral view C ejaculatory apodeme D, E in lateral view.

Figure 8. Ovipositor in lateral view A Claraeola bousynterga Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. B Claraeola khuzestanensis Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. C Claraeola parnianae Motamedinia & Kehlmaier. Scale bar: 0.1 mm (A-C).

Figure 9. Male of Claraeola species A paratype of Claraeola bousynterga Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. in dorsal view B holotype of Claraeola mantisphalliga Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. in lateral view C-D Claraeola halterata (Meigen) C abdominal tergites in dorsal view D habitus in lateral view E-F paratype of Claraeola khuzestanensis Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. E legs in lateral view F habitus in dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.5 mm (A-F).

Figure 10. Claraeola species distribution in the Middle East.